I too quite agree with the points in your sample answer, Kate. Some
students might also be motivated by:

a) (as part, as you said, of making the prep "necessary and
purposeful")  having an explicit mini-task associated with the reading
i.e. not just 'read this' but 'read this and come to the seminar with
three words describing how it made you feel / a bare-bones summary of
not more than 25 words / a visual summary / something you'd ask the
writer if you met them / an object that in some way represents something
from the text (and if you don't bring one you have to choose from a
mystery lucky dip and relate it to the article on the spot!) etc etc
etc

b) (especially for new students) having seminar activity (when there
has clearly been pre-reading) modelled (e.g. in a short video), so that
expectations are clear (and, hopefully, the value of prepared
participation is also clear)

c) having (critical) reading modelled, especially in a way that
demonstrates that it need not be dull and arduous, but that it can be
done in small chunks, and actively, and using skimming and scanning
techniques

d) encouraging consideration of the wider and longer-term personal and
professional benefits of this kind of preparation e.g. how will
developing the skill of efficient prep impact on job chances? what
explicit 'CV' skills does this kind of prep relate to? what kinds of
personal development can doing this kind of prep facilitate? As with all
curriculum requirements, clear links to PDP seem to motivate some
students (though probably a small minority) more effectively than
course-related incentives.

Lastly: have tutors considered requiring much less preparatory reading?
'Too few students do it!" must be an extremely widespread and
longstanding complaint, I reckon. If you were trying to knock nails into
bricks, and in thousands of attempts it hadn't really worked (even
though you'd like it to), you'd reach for a drill. On the whole,
students are not evil, lazy so-and-sos intent on wrecking our teaching,
just as the nails are not trying to frustrate the hammer-wielder. If too
many don't do the reading, perhaps a different tool needs to be used.

That's quite enough of that dodgy analogy!

Martin Hampton






>>> Kate Smith <[log in to unmask]> 27/02/2007 16:22 >>>
Dear All

 

One issue that lecturers have brought up several times at our PG Cert.
in Learning and Teaching in HE sessions and in informal discussion is
the difficulty in getting some students to 'do the reading' before
they
attend seminars and how their failure to do this impacts on their
ability/willingness to participate.  We would like to focus on this
issue in next week's session with lecturers.  I have pasted below an
example of the kind of advice that I have given and would be
interested
in your comments and further suggestions, including references of any
articles or books that tackle this issue well.

 

"My suggestions would be to design the seminar activity so that
students
need to have completed the reading to be able to take part.  You might
randomly select individuals to present a 1 min summary of their
corporate report so that they need to do the preparation - this
experience would be enough to encourage some students to do the work
to
avoid having to 'wing it' again. Students generally don't like to be
seen to be letting each other down so if they were working in groups
and
some hadn't done the prep necessary to complete the group task this
might serve to highlight that they are letting fellow students down.
These interventions aren't intended to humiliate individuals, just
make
the prep necessary and purposeful. If it isn't, why do it? It may put
some students off coming to the seminar if they haven't prepared, but
that is a different issue. 

 

Also, are you sure that they know what is expected and are able to
carry
out the task? You might ask them to check. You might also re-state the
expectations of the seminar/module or negotiate what they need to
prepare in order for you to run a useful session and establish a
contract letting them know that this prep is their responsibility. 
Have
you asked the group in general why they haven't done the prep? E.g.
"It's clear that some of you haven't prepared for this session by....
I'm interested to know why that is."  Then negotiate accordingly, if
at
all.

 

Finally, do those who have done the work feel their effort is valued,
are they thanked for their contribution? If the session is sabotaged
by
those (majority or minority?) that haven't done the prep, those that
have won't bother in future, unless you make their effort worthwhile
by
rewarding them with a session that allows them to make use of their
prep."  

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Kate

Kate Smith
Education Development Projects Manager
Learning and Teaching Development Unit
Ext. 65801
http://intranet.brunel.ac.uk/ltdu/